Velocity: Time-on-Stage Warning

Overview

Velocity is a Spotlight.ai feature that helps you identify deals that are stalling in a sales stage. It compares how long an opportunity has been in its current stage against the expected duration you configure — and surfaces risk warnings when a deal is taking too long.

When the time in stage exceeds your defined thresholds, Spotlight.ai displays an hourglass icon on the opportunity card in Salesforce:

• Orange hourglass — Medium Risk: the opportunity has exceeded the expected stage duration.
• Red hourglass — High Risk: the opportunity has significantly exceeded the expected stage duration.

Configuring Velocity

Velocity is configured in the Spotlight.ai admin tool under the Velocity tab.

1. Set your record type

Use the Record Type dropdown to select the Salesforce record type you want to configure (e.g., Sales, Renewals, etc.).

2. Add a Velocity Category

Velocity categories let you define different expected stage durations for different types of deals. For example, you might configure separate benchmarks for deals under $50,000 vs. deals over $50,000.

1. Click + Add Velocity Category.
2. Enter a name for the category (e.g., "Under $50,000").
3. Define the Category Criteria — a "Yes/No" variable with a formula that determines which opportunities fall into this category.
4. Enter the average number of days an opportunity typically spends in each stage.
5. Click Save.

3. Defining the Category Criteria (Velocity Variable)

To add a Velocity variable:

1. Click + Add Variable.
2. Enter a name (e.g., velocityOver50K  ).
3. Set the Type to Yes/No.
4. Leave the Scope to be Opportunity.
5. Enable Show Formula and enter your formula in the Formula Editor (e.g., cAmount > 50000  ).
6. Click Validate, then Save.

Frequently asked questions

Does Velocity apply to all opportunities?

Yes. Velocity applies to all opportunities that match a configured Velocity Category. If no category matches, no risk indicator is shown.

Can I have multiple Velocity Categories?

Yes. You can define as many categories as needed, each with its own stage duration benchmarks and criteria.

Are we counting business days or calendar days?

Spotlight.ai calculates time-in-stage using calendar days by default. When configuring expected stage durations, enter values in calendar days (not in business days) to ensure accurate risk calculations.

Can we use this in our reports?

No. Velocity risk indicators are currently only available in the Salesforce UI.

I updated the stage but I still see the warning sign — why?

Velocity is recalculated once per day, during off-hours, to minimize performance impact. Updates to stage durations or opportunity stages will be reflected the following day.

What defines Medium and High risk?

✓ Medium and High risk thresholds are configurable per tenant. By default:

• Medium Risk is triggered when time in stage reaches 1.5× the configured average stage duration.
• High Risk is triggered when time in stage reaches 3× the configured average stage duration.

These multipliers can be adjusted in your tenant configuration to match your team's expectations.